Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Borrelia persica infection in dogs and cats in Israel
By Baneth, Gad et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2022·The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Infection and seroprevalence of Borrelia persica in domestic cats and dogs in Israel.
Plain-English summary
A study found that 1.9% of dogs and 2.9% of cats in Israel tested positive for a bacteria called Borrelia persica, which can cause relapsing fever. In addition, 11.5% of dogs and 17.5% of cats had antibodies indicating they had been exposed to the bacteria. Symptoms like low platelet counts in dogs and anemia in cats were linked to the infection. This suggests that Borrelia persica is more common in pets than previously thought, and it highlights the importance of monitoring these infections to protect both pets and humans.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Relapsing fever borreliosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia, inflicting recurrent episodes of fever and spirochetemia in humans. Borrelia persica, the causative agent of relapsing fever in Israel, is prevalent over a broad geographic area that extends from India to Egypt. It is transmitted by the soft tick Ornithodoros tholozani and causes disease in humans as well as domestic cats and dogs. The goal of this study was to survey domestic dogs and cats in Israel for infection with B. persica. METHODS: Blood, sera and demographic and clinical data were collected from dogs and cats brought for veterinary care in central Israel. PCR followed by DNA sequencing was used to detect B. persica DNA in blood samples, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect antibodies reactive with B. persica antigens in sera from the same animals. This is the first serological survey of B. persica in dogs and the first survey for antibodies reactive with a relapsing fever Borrelia sp. in cats globally. RESULTS: Four of the 208 dogs (1.9%) and three of 103 cats (2.9%) sampled were positive by PCR for B. persica DNA, and 24 dogs (11.5%) and 18 cats (17.5%) were seropositive for B. persica antigen by ELISA. The ratio between PCR-positivity and seropositivity in both the dog and cat populations was 1:6. All four PCR-positive dogs and two of three PCR-positive cats were seronegative, suggesting a probable recent infection. Thrombocytopenia showed significant association with seropositivity in dogs (P = 0.003). In cats, anemia had a significant association with seropositivity (P = 0.0001), and thrombocytopenia was associated with the combined prevalence of seropositivity or PCR-positivity (P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Borrelia persica infection is more prevalent and widespread in domestic canine and feline populations in Israel than previously thought. Dogs and cats may play a role as reservoirs and sentinels for human infection. Precautions should be taken to prevent transfusion-transmitted infection between blood donor and recipient animals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35534871/